Loop and Spiral
by SYuuri
Summary: Life is a tangled web, isn't it? TommyKim. Plz read and rev. :chapter 4:
1. The Trials

**Loop and Spiral**

**Disclaimer: ****I don't own the Power Rangers.**

**:: I know that I should be doing my other fics, but the mood just isn't there. So I better do it later than give you an unsatisfying story. **

**:: For all Kat fans, I strongly suggest you not to read this one because there're will be some parts that you wouldn't like. Now I'm sure that she must have been a great person and all. After all Kim chose her to replace her as the Pink Ranger, but still, I just never like the girl; especially since she started going out with Tommy and replace Kim in **_**all**_** ways. That's why, I don't want to find any flames, since I have told you beforehand. **

**:: The words in italic means they're flashback. **

**For G.I.W. **

**Now on to the story!**

* * *

**Chapter 1: The Trials**

"So… why don't you start from the beginning?" Trini Kwan asked her client who by chance was also one of her bestfriends since kindergarten. Glasses on and legs crossed, she was ready to listen to Kimberly's story. Years had passed and everything was different now. She no longer dated their genius of a friend, Billy, and although she once dreamed of having her own karate school, being a psychiatrist was something that she greatly enjoyed right now. Of course, when she decided to reside in Reefside not more than two weeks prior, Kim was the first person to be her patient, not that she needed it though. She would gladly listen to Kimberly without charging her per hour. Though all they did here was nothing similar to her other sessions. They were two bestfriends who were trying to catch up with each other's live.

Kim chose to sit in the recliner near the aquarium and while her eyes were busy admiring the tropical fishes, she began somewhat reluctantly. "I don't know about you, but this feels a bit weird,"

"At least I didn't ask you to lay down," Trini pointed out, trying to ease her friend and making her feel relaxed. Her raven hair was no longer fell down her back, but it was now cut in layered. To complete the professional look, she wore a Cartier glasses that matched her oriental features. "We don't have to do this, you know. We could just go to that coffee shop downtown and you could tell me anything while we have some lattes and brownies,"

"Personally, I'd much prefer some stronger liquor with higher alcohol content in it, though," Kim said quietly, her fingers playing with the hem of her beige colored blouse. "Anyway, don't tell me you don't want to get some extra bucks," Kim joked with a grin, knowing the amount of money that would flow to Trini's account.

"Enough about me," Trini softly chided after returning Kim's teasing smirk. Now it was all professional. "The clock's ticking and I have another appointment waiting,"

Kim shot a desperate look her way. "I can't believe you just said that,"

"Hey, I'm the doctor, remember?"

Laughing, Kim fell back to the comfy chair. Honestly, she was more than happy to have Trini so close to her here in Reefside. She finished her degree last year and after visiting her for a few times, she reckoned that Reefside was a nice place to start a new life. Both were no longer shopping addicts anymore, but they still enjoyed going to mall, laughing and simply doing nothing; especially when she needed some time away from the testosterone in the house.

Her smile faded a little at the thought. For someone who was going to celebrate her twenty seven's birthday in a couple of months, Kim suddenly felt old.

"I don't know, Trini… I mean, everything was alright with us, but suddenly she came and everything was not as perfect as they'd seemed to be once," Kim muttered and closed her eyes. "Don't get me wrong, I like Kat. Then again, wasn't that why I gave her my power coin all those years ago before I went to Florida?"

The old memories were still vivid in her mind; the good and the bad. Sure, she probably should be pissed. After all, Kat did try to kill her once. But she was under a spell at that time and she had apologized to her over and over again once the spell was broken. Everything's cool between them. Plus, if Kat didn't find her that night, she's probably wouldn't be sitting here, talking and seeking some advice from Trini.

"Of course, I won't lie to you that the jealousy was there, you know, when I was told that Tommy and she were dating," Kim continued in a bitter tone. Jason kind of slipped it out and she had many restless nights afterwards. Seeing them together again after the Muranthias incident hurt, but what's done is done. That was her fault in the first place anyway. She wrote that damn letter and ended everything with Tommy.

"I always thought that Kat was a gorgeous girl and I won't be saying the truth if I don't say that I didn't feel worried about Tommy falling for her after I left," Trini had listened to this scenario before, since she's the one Kim called for three hours straight after she posted the letter, but Kim was told to let everything out of her chest, and that was one of the problems she was having right now. "We wrote each other letters, but slowly it's just getting more and more about Angel Grove and how's the team's doing. I realized that Tommy just didn't want to cut me off, I mean, I wasn't a ranger any longer. But still, hearing all those stuff… there's a small part of me that felt even lonelier,"

Then she met Brandon, one of the assistant couches and suddenly she didn't feel too lonely anymore. She wanted to die when she sent Tommy the letter, but she just needed to get rid of the past in order to be able to move on. It wasn't mature, but she did it still.

"Though it doesn't really matter now, since we're back together now," Kim finished with a tinge of hesitancy in her voice. They cleared the air about three years ago when Zack held a party in Vegas to celebrate his dance studio's first anniversary. Tommy was still on his way to finish his PhD in UCLA while she's doing what she's still doing right now; owning and teaching at her gymnastics school in Reefside. They made it official eight months later and after Tommy finished his degree, he moved to Reefside to be with her.

"We always knew that you two were meant to be," Trini said with a smile, recalling seeing her friends back in high school; all high and giggly in love. "Just about time you two were back together,"

Kim sighed in contentment. It surely felt good to have Tommy back in her life. She never really stopped loving him. Not even when she began to date Brandon or have a first-date dinner with a few guys. It had always been Tommy Oliver and not anyone else.

"About two weeks ago, we got a phone call," Kim's eyes moved to meet Trini's. "From Australia,"

"_You know that I love you, but I will never know why you love to watch this stuff," Kim said and sat next to Tommy in the living room. He had been spending the last hour and a half watching some NGC program about mummies in Egypt. They both might enjoy sushi, skydiving and living together, but if there was one thing that Kim wasn't fond of, that show was one of those things. _

"_Just like you like to watch those television series every night?" Tommy replied back, daring enough to wink at her. He set down the remote and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, tucking her into his side. "Everything they do is cry, how could you stand that?" _

"_Oh, shut up," Kim growled, not really feeling angry. In fact, she loved their daily banter more than anything because it usually would end up with some cuddling and kissing. "Those were good while this is… boring," _

"_Will it change your mind if I told you they found dinosaur bones in Egypt?" Tommy asked, leaning down to inhale her heady scent for a while. _

"_Now why would that change my opinion?" _

"_Because we used to have them to fight with us in the battlefield?" He answered, fondly recalling many times Lord Zedd sending down ugly monsters to destroy the town. As always, the bad guy always lost and the Power Rangers saved the day. "Sometimes I miss seeing you in those tight pink spandex," Kim owned many nighties that revealed a lot less than what she had on now, but there's just something exciting with Kim in her ranger suit. _

_Kim playfully jabbed his ribs and let out a yelp when he pulled her into a kiss. His fingers slid between her silky tresses while she simply locked her arms around his neck. Things would undoubtedly progress into something more if only the phone didn't ring. _

"_Tommy," Kim was the one to pull away first, hating to feel his body far from hers but knew that someone had to pick the phone. _

"_Let it be," He protested with an adorable pout, now nuzzling the side of her neck and nibbling gently. Due to Kim's hectic schedules, they hadn't had some quiet time lately. Usually she was too exhausted to do _anything_ and always headed to bed early at night. _

"_Just for a minute," Kim answered and kissed him once again before scooting from him to get the cordless phone. Back in his arms, Kim greeted, "Hello? Oh, hi, Kat!" She glanced at Tommy, receiving questioning eyes from the man she loved. "Yes, we're fine, how about you? It's been a while since we heard from you... Oh, that's great! When is it? Oh, come on, don't be silly, we'll be more than happy to. We have spare guestrooms," _

_At that, Tommy's hand stopped caressing her thigh and his head turned down to look at her. He watched her smile and finally clicked off the phone before putting it back on the table. "What was that?" _

"_Kat's going to fly to the States, she's still unsure when though, but some time this month," Kim informed and laced her slender fingers between his larger ones, giving them a fervent squeeze. "I told her not to book a hotel room, since well, she can stay here," Even though they lived in different continents, they all remained as friends. It would be great to finally see the tall blonde again. _

"_Well, not that I mind, but…," Tommy eyed her skeptically. He expected it would be a bit awkward to have his girlfriend _and_ former girlfriend in the same place. "You're really okay with that? I mean, forgive me, I know that you're friends but you don't have the best relationship," _

"_Yes, we're friends. Besides, you love_ me_, don't you?" Kim asked, her doe brown eyes twinkling and captivating Tommy's heart once again just like she always did._

"_Always," He answered before lowering his lips down to her and kissing her again. Not need to be said that things were_ _going out of hand shortly after that. _

"So Kat later called me again with her flight details and all," Kim said, intentionally skipping the parts about their private moments, and took a sip of her tea. She patted the spot next to her and Trini moved to sit there. "She was having a trip after she finished her PhD and thought she would visit Reefside. I know that Jason bragged a lot about this place and its similarity to Angel Grove. You know the ballet studio near the mall? Well, apparently its owner knows someone who knows Kat and she thought it would be great if Kat's willing to teach there for a while," The second pink ranger was a famous ballerina though she finally chose to leave the stage and go back to college again. Now there were three doctors in the ranger family; Oliver, Cranston and Hillard.

Trini nodded. She had met Kat a couple of times when the girls had lunch together. But that was over a week ago. They were not exactly friends, more like an acquaintance. She had heard many stories about her and Kat seemed to be a sweet person. Maybe they needed to find time and get to know each other better.

"She planned to stay for about seven till ten days, but then she got an offer to co-choreograph a ballet performance, which will be held at the end of the month,"

"At the end of the month?" Trini's eyebrows rose a little.

"Yes,"

There's a constant knock at the door and in stepped Trini's secretary, Linda. The beautiful redhead smiled politely at Kim and put down a file on the desk. It was Trini's cue that Kim's time was up. They had passed most of her time gossiping before finally got down to business.

"I'm sorry to say this, but you're time is almost finish," Trini said after Linda closed the door. "Why don't I call you tonight or maybe we can have lunch tomorrow? There's a Mexican restaurant that I want to try. I heard the food's great. We can eat something and you can continue your story,"

"That would be awesome," Kim got up and smoothed down her blouse. She gave Trini a hug. "Thanks, Tri,"

"Hey, that's what friends are for,"

"Yeah,"

"Say hi to Tommy for me," Trini reminded.

"That dinner with Matt is still on for tonight?" Kim asked while collecting her purse. She knew that deep down Trini still had feelings for Billy; Matt was simply a distraction.

"Yeah, we need to date someone out of the ranger circle," Trini said and folded her arms. There were people out there, but they somehow always ended up with the other ex ranger.

"Good luck. I'll call you," Kim said, her hand turning the doorknob. _Gosh, I don't want to go home_.

* * *

**:: That's it for the first chapter. Hope you like it. Finals are approaching and I hope once they're done, I can update more often. Thanks for reading and please review, no flame though. **

**- Yuuri :)**


	2. On and On

**Loop and Spiral**

**Disclaimer:**** I don't own Power Rangers.**

**:: Thanks for everyone who has reviewed. I guess you have figured out already that I'm not a big fan of Kat, but I'll try not to write her so OOC. I'm glad that I could find the time to write the second chapter and post this up for you just in a couple of days :) Hope you enjoy. **

* * *

**Chapter Two: On and On**

"_I'm sorry, Tommy, but it seems like I'm going to come late tonight,"_ Kim said remorsefully. _"Give me an hour or so, alright," _

"Do you need me to go there?" Tommy asked. Kim probably had to go through some paperwork and judging from the situation, it's unlikely she's going to make it home at 6 like she had promised. He knew for a fact that Kim would be the last person in the gym and the thought just didn't sit right with him.

"_Don't be silly," Kim gently scolded him, laughing. "Why don't you move your ass and prepare dinner for us? I want to see a delicious, warm, food on the table once I'm back. I guess I saw a pack of spaghetti in the top drawer yesterday," _She hinted and Tommy smiled.

"Just do what you have to do. Everything will have been ready by the time you returned," Tommy said, pushing himself off the couch and moving to the kitchen to find something.

"_Is Kat home already?" _

"Yeah, she got in about two hours ago," Tommy answered, grinning in bravado when he found the package just where Kim had said. He then opened the fridge to look for some meatballs that he knew were in there. After all, he was the one who did the grocery this week. "She's in her room, I guess,"

"_Alright, Handsome, I'd better go,"_ Kim said in a softer tone. _"See you in a bit," _

"Cool. I love you," He replied. Those words meant that much more for both of them after the reconciliation a few years back.

"_Love you too," _Kim returned and hung up the phone.

After he put the phone down and set the frozen meatballs at the counter, he headed to the guestroom in the second floor. His initial panic about Kim and Kat staying under the same roof turned out to be for nothing. At least _nothing_ had happened, till now. Kim seemed to be happy with her around, but then again, wasn't she the one who invited Kat to stay with them in the first place?

Plus, it was kind of nice to have someone around the house that he didn't feel too lonely. Kat was a great woman; someone that meant a great deal to him. She was a good friend and that's about it. Dating her back in high school wasn't something that he regretted, but deep down he always knew that he didn't love her like _that_. Kimberly was _the_ one-- always had been.

"Hey, anybody home," Tommy said as he stopped in front of Kat's room. The door was open and the blonde was sitting on the bed, her hair matted down to her shoulders and back. He got a bit hesitant to come inside since Kat wore nothing than a bathrobe, but the tell-tale sign of tears in her eyes snapped him. "What's wrong?"

"Hey you," Kat instantly made a hasty move to wipe her eyes.

"Are you okay?" Tommy asked, concerned, and walked inside. He pulled out the swivel chair and took a seat, dragging it closer to the former second pink ranger. "Did something happen?"

"Nothing, I was just…," Kat shot him a bitter smile. "You know, two days ago was one year anniversary of my father's death,"

Tommy's mouth gaped open at that. How he could have forgotten… "I'm sorry," He said quietly. Last year almost all the former rangers flew to Australia when Kat called with the bad news. Her father had a car accident and he didn't make it. The doctor said it happened so fast that he couldn't have felt any pain. For Kat and the family, that brought a little relief. Katherine was closer to her father than her mom and the accident was such a hard blow for her.

"I'm okay," Kat grasped Tommy's hand and he gave a squeeze in return. "I remember we were going to have this small celebration at home. You know, my brother was accepted to the university that he had always dreamed of since he was a kid. Little Brad was going to be a doctor….," Kat chuckled weakly. "The table was set, everything was perfect. The only thing missing was my father. We waited and waited… but he never came. And it turned out that he would _never_ go home again,"

Sobbing, Katherine suddenly lunged forward and pressed her face against his chest. That was not something that he had expected. Following his instinct, he brought his arms from their previous place at his side and hugged her, his hands moving up and down her back as he murmuring soothing words.

Kim's hand stopped mid-air when she witnessed the sight in front of her eyes. She was going to surprise Tommy by telling him that she was going to come late. The truth was that she had called him on her way home and not from the gym. Of course, it startled her when she found the living room and the kitchen were empty, but it had nothing to compare with what would greet her when she looked for him upstairs.

It had been almost two weeks and she really didn't want to think badly about Kat. Though they were not as close as she and Trini, Kat was a good friend. However, lately it felt like her replacement was trying to replace her, again. Not just once or twice she got home and found Tommy and Kat sitting in the couch, laughing merrily about something that she didn't understand.

She realized that she was letting her own petty jealousy get in the way. There's probably nothing going on; she was just imagining things, hallucinating. Still, she couldn't help but felt helpless when the old memories about Kat coming for the first time to Angel Grove, returned in full force.

Katherine was still as stunning as ever. She had lost weight and her blonde hair was curled now. Tommy had told her a brief story about their break-up after they graduated; with Tommy went racing with his uncle and Kat off to London. He had said that it had been a mutual decision. Was that right?

Kicking million nasty, silly thoughts away, Kim knocked at the door softly. She managed to break the 'moment' and smiled dryly when Kat lifted her head from Tommy's shoulder. The short haired science teacher turned around and Kim found a slightly nervous grin on his face. Why he should be nervous? Was it because his girlfriend found him sitting in another woman's bed with their arms around each other and oh, that the woman was also half naked? _Kimmie, cut it out! _

It was only after Kim stepped into the room did she realize that Kat's eyes were red and puffy and Tommy's front shirt was wet. "What happened?"

Tommy stood up and met Kim halfway, putting an arm around her shoulder. "Two days ago was Mr. Hillard's one year death anniversary," He explained softly.

"Oh, Kat," Kim stammered, now feeling like a complete idiot. Tommy was being an understanding friend and she had all those thoughts about them. _What a great friend you are, Kimmie. _Coming from a broken home family, she knew how much families meant. She had never been exactly close with both of her parents, especially after the divorce and her mother's second marriage.

She had a brother, Peter. He was five years older than her and her childhood was filled with his attempts to scare her. He used to say that there was an evil witch hiding in her closet so she'd better watch out every night. Finding a frog, worm, insect or bug in her bed or school bag was not something out of ordinary. He knew they freaked her out and it just fueled him to tease her more and more.

Despite everything, Kim loved Peter dearly and when he was away for a three day school trip, she's unconsciously going to miss his silly pranks. Then one day the hospital called and informed her mother that Peter's bicycle had been hit by a car. That, with no doubt, had successfully scared her to no end; even more than Peter's tarantulas. He was badly injured and it was a miracle that he made a full recovery.

"I always liked Mr. Hillard," Kim continued in a hush tone, recalling her first meeting with the man that had reminded her of Santa Claus. "He was a great person,"

"I know," Katherine smiled and sniffled. After an awkward lingering pause, she finally clapped her hands and got on her feet. "What's for dinner? I'm starving,"

"Crap! I forgot about the pasta," Tommy groaned, inviting the two women to laugh. He might have that PhD to brag in front of the police when they're going to ticket him, but his memory was still as bad as it had been when he was seventeen.

"I'll be down in a few," Kat said.

"Will you be alright? I'm here if you want to talk," Kim offered with a genuine smile and hugged the taller girl.

"Thanks, Kim,"

--

"_Yeah, I mean, I felt like a bad person because of what I was thinking," Kim said. She decided to call Jason, the one person who knew her better than anyone beside Tommy and Trini. _

_Jason had been there, so he knew Kat as well. It shocked her a little when he confessed that he used to have a thing towards the blonde. But it was simply a crush and with Kat only had her eyes on Tommy, he backed off. Then again, Jason would have not married Emily if he had decided to pursuit his crush. _

"_That doesn't make you evil," Jason spoke. "You're just an ordinary person, anyway. Thinking about stealing Rocky's pizza doesn't automatically make me a bad person. Don't be too hard on yourself," _

"_Yeah, but I guess I'm just jealous," Kim admitted bashfully. "I remember how the all male population in Angel Grove High dropped to their knees when Kat came and the fact that Tommy dated her for a while doesn't make me feel any better," _

"_You trust that man of yours, don't you? You know he's never going to cheat on you," Jason said reasonably. Tommy had told him about the letter Kim'd sent about a few weeks after he received it. He had never heard Tommy sound so crushed and devastated. He was also the one Tommy called when he and Kim finally got back together and the delight in his voice was so apparent. Tommy loved Kim more than life itself. _

"_I trust Tommy," Kim replied with a frown. "You know I do," _

She had called Jason today when she's still at the gym. It wasn't exactly a conversation that she could have in the house.

Kim climbed out of her car and collected the paper bag which was filled by homemade turkey sandwiches. Tommy hated fish and so she had spared some time to go shopping. It really had been a while since they spent times together, with Kat arrival and all, that she finally decided to visit Tommy at school. It was lunch break and knowing him, he must be staying in his class and eating something from the school cafeteria. A naughty smile blossomed across her face when she thought about pulling Tommy down then and there and making out with him on the lab table.

Her legs followed a familiar path straight to the second floor. She walked passed a group of students and felt older all of a sudden.

Kim pushed her hair behind her ear and made a brief effort to take a peek inside the classroom. Maybe she could surprise him or something like that… except that her bubbles burst when she saw Tommy was not really alone. In fact, he was with Katherine.

_What the hell is she doing here?! _Kim felt the color draining from her face as Kat laid her hand on Tommy's shoulder and laughed at something he said. She immediately pulled back and leaned her back against the wall. Kat was a friend. She was her friend… they might have had history together, but it had ended…. Kat _and_ Tommy wouldn't do something behind her back…

The more she tried to convince herself, the harder she failed. Feeling more than a little bit pathetic for suspecting her friend and doubting Tommy's love for her, Kim lifted her head when two students stopped in front of the class and looked inside through the glass window.

"Damn, that chick is hot!" One of the two boys whistled, successfully crashing down her mood to the lowest floor. "What is she with Dr. Oliver?"

"A friend maybe?" The taller guy suggested and shrugged. "As far as I remember, his girlfriend is not a blonde,"

Feeling her confidence going down the drain, Kim was more than ready to dump the sandwiches to the nearest trash bin and head back to her car when the door suddenly opened, revealing the person that she didn't want to face right now.

"I knew it was you," Katherine said with her thick Australian accent. "Come inside,"

The way she said it made Kim feel like _Kat_ was the one who had the right to say that, when it's supposed to be the other way. Kim let Kat drag her to the classroom, where Tommy soon greeted her with a hug and a kiss.

"Hey, what a surprise," He laughed after releasing her. Then his eyes moved from the brunette to the blonde. "What's wrong today? Not that I'm complaining, but it's kind of a surprise to have you both come here to the school,"

"Some of my students go to Reefside High and there's something I wanted to give them," Kat explained to Kim.

Lack of anything to say, Kim mumbled, "That's, that's great. I was just going to-," She stopped when she saw two McDonald's paper bags on the teacher's table, along with two cokes. "You know, I was just gonna stop by and see how Tommy's doing,"

"Well, feel free to do so," Kat said with a smile. "Because I need to go to the ladies room,"

"So…," Tommy started once Kat left them alone. "How are you, Beautiful," He walked to where she was sitting in one of the chairs and wrapped his arms around her, dropping a kiss onto her forehead.

The mood was no longer there and Kim wanted to kick anyone in 100 meter radius, including Tommy for letting everything happen. _You're the one who invited her to stay with you! You said you trusted Tommy and Katherine! You're being a bitch, Hart! _"A bit tired. You know, there's a 6.30 am practice this morning,"

"You shouldn't have come here. You could have taken a nap for a little while," His fingers were doing magic to her taut shoulders and neck and Kim let her head rest against his chest.

"I know,"

"Did you miss me?" Tommy teased innocently and Kim only wounded her arms around his waist and pulled him closer. "What's that?"

Before she got the chance to answer, he had taken the paper bag she had brought and looked inside. Sighing, Kim grabbed it and put it back on the table. "You have had lunch, don't bother,"

"You made them yourself?"

Kim shrugged. Even with the PhD, Tommy was still as dense as ever when matters concerning women. Maybe that's a good thing, so he wouldn't realize that Kat was advancing towards him… **IF **such thing even exist. "I think I'd better go. The break will be over in about 7 minutes," Kim said after looking at the clock on the wall.

"Going back to the gym?" Tommy asked and took a sandwich from the bag, deliberately ignoring her wandering hands to get it back. "Maybe you could drive Kat to the studio. You're not in a rush, are you?"

"Of course," Kim returned his smile. Setting aside the irrational thoughts for a minute and hoping Kat would not return anytime soon, she grabbed his collar and pulled him down for a passionate kiss that he was more than happy to oblige.

--

"Oh yeah, how's Mrs. Oliver doing? It's been a long time since the last time I saw her," Kat said and tucked her legs underneath her. "I remember I used to come over to Tommy's house back then every weekend. I miss her famous lasagna. Is Skippy still around?"

"Who?" Kim asked, her voice rising.

"Skippy, their Chihuahua? That cute little thing," Kat answered, her eyes looking out of the window to admire the Reefside Park when they drove passed it. "You never saw him?"

"Um, no," Kim mumbled, feeling her wall building once again. "I'm not visiting Tommy's parents that often nowadays,"

"I wish you're home more often," Kat remarked all of a sudden. "Tommy misses you and it's painful to see him wandering around the house like a lost puppy,"

Kim's grin only lasted for exactly five seconds. "You know what, there's this kid back in the rest room, asking if Tommy and I were together," Kat laughed good-naturedly. "Cute kid,"

Gripping the steerwheel tighter, Kim crossed her fingers and hoped they could make it to the ballet studio in one piece.

**tbc..**

* * *

**:: Don't you just love the tension… This wasn't entitled Loop and Spiral for no reason. That's it for now. Please review, let me know what you think. No flame though. Catch you later! **

**- Yuuri ;) **


	3. Girl Talk

**Loop and Spiral**

**Disclaimer:**** If I owned Power Rangers, Tommy and Kim would have celebrated their tenth wedding anniversary and had 2 kids named Christian and Liz :D **

**:: Hi, everyone, it's me again. Thank you for the reviews; it always feels great to hear from you. I'm sorry I haven't been around to get back to you because school has been busy now that the finals are getting near, and I have an awful cold it's so damn annoying. Anyway, I'm glad that you liked the story so far. This won't be a long story; less than 10 chapters. Now on to story. **

* * *

**Chapter Three: Girl Talk**

"How's Tommy by the way?" Trini asked from her comfortable perch against the arm of her new beige colored sofa, one arm hugging the silk cushion. Her legs were propped up on the table and her raven haired was pulled up to a high pony tail. She just finished working out when Kim came with a box of Tiramisu. Thirty minutes later and she knew she would have to do more sit ups to burn all the calories.

"He'll live," Kim replied with a shrug, her smile fading when the image of Tommy lying in the bed floating back in. Two days ago, she was startled when Jules called her in the middle of a routine and told her that there was a phone call from the Reefside High. Her poor former white knight had fallen from the stairs and broke his ankle. One of the kids had accidentally knocked him over with the world atlas and Tommy who by chance was in a wrong place, lost his balance. Fortunately, he didn't suffer concussion, but he would need to use a cast for several weeks ahead. For Tommy who simply hated to stay put, it was torture. "In fact, he's the one who told me to stop being Florence Nightingale and go out somewhere to do some girly stuff. He was sleeping when I left, so I guess it would be alright if I left him for a couple of hours," She paused and took a bite of her frosty cake. "Besides, I could use the time to talk to you. The studio closed early today,"

"Do I have to ask you what this is all about?" Trini smirked and stood up to open the wide glass door heading to her backyard. It's getting warmer inside and she knew the topic Kim was about going to start would make both of them, especially Kim, get even warmer. "What _else_ happened?"

Kim chewed her lips and after a final bite, she pushed her plate aside. It had been exactly eight days since the visit to Tommy's lab and everything seemed to be working out greatly, minus the accident that was. Well, not just that, actually. Something did happen and she was getting too confused to think by herself. Was she starting to turn to those territorial girlfriends or she was just reacting like a normal person? Personally, she chose the latter.

Then Kim lost it.

"You know what? I don't know what happened. I mean, is it just me or everything I see looks like Kat is trying to win Tommy back?" Kim asked, frustratingly running her fingers through her hair. Her hand tapped at the table somewhat impatiently and she finally decided to get up to get some space. "Just a day before Tommy's accident, Tommy and I went out. Just hanging out with Hayley for a moment before strolling off downtown. The good news is that Kat had been good lately, but the not-so-good news is that we were actually going to meet her and have dinner together,"

"_It's good to see that you're no longer a shopping addict," Tommy teased Kim and earned a playful jab on the side of his waist. "Because I don't want you to change your mind. We have agreed to buy that new computer table and a bookcase instead of your second closet," He had tried to make over his old bookcase from college but failed miserably, leaving him with no choice. Now he has his eyes on the attractive Victorian mahogany bookcase he saw in Mackenzie's Antique Store and he finally had been able to convince Mr. Mackenzie not to sell it to anyone and keep it for a moment longer. _

"_I just don't understand why you want a computer table in our room," Kim said with a pout although she had already known the answer. Tommy often spent many late hours at his sort-of study room downstairs and it would be much easier to move it upstairs. His room has some space and with the distance between the bed and the location of his new table, she wouldn't get disturbed with all his typing. _

"_Why, I thought you were going to be happy since now you could be there to see if I was browsing porn or chatting with a British chick instead of making quizzes," Tommy said with a wiggle of his eyebrows and Kim giggled. It felt nice to be able to spend some time with him. Doing nothing, but being together. _

"Just tell him to get a laptop," Trini suggested with hilarity lacing her every word. "Then he could do all his work in bed and you won't miss his body next to you every night. I think Apple has a special offer this month…," Her mouth clamped shut when she found Kim staring dagger at her. Raising her hands in surrender, she said, "You may proceed,"

Kim looked at the pictures Trini had put on the living room and giggled at the silliness of some of them. They were mostly old photographs from the old days. Billy still had that braces though still looked cute nonetheless. She always thought the genius was okay, in a nerdy-geeky kind of way. Especially now, with all the money he had gained from his NASA exploration and research, it wouldn't be hard for him to get himself a life partner. And it always helped to know that Billy spoke less 'Billy' nowadays. She had thought he would have gotten worse, but she had been wrong about that. "When was the last time you called him?"

"I thought we were talking about the love triangle between Tommy Oliver, Kimberly Hart and Katherine Hillard?" Trini shot back without mercy and returned Kim's glare whole heartedly.

"You have to at least try to contact him,"

"Yeah? Why don't you go to your boyfriend and tell him that you are having doubts about Katherine," Trini fired back and threw Kim the cushion she had been hugging. The petite gymnast coach caught it swiftly before it hit her. Once she saw a light blush fall over Kim's face, she said. "Why don't you resume your story?"

Kim threw the soft stuff back to its owner before continuing. "We walked passed a toy shop that sold a complete Power Ranger action figures…,"

"_I can't believe they still have those things," Kim murmured in slight awe. It was the original six with their Megazord and all. She still kept her collections and seeing this made her want to take them out from the basement when they got home. She used to play with the white and pink ranger when they're still teenagers. Of course, almost a decade and Tommy hadn't known that, and she would keep it that way. He wouldn't live it down if he knew she loved playing house with their figurines together as husband and wife._

"_I never knew Jason's spandex had that super abs," Tommy joked and laughed. "But they're cool though. Brought back many memories," _

_He gava her a light tug and they continued their window shopping. Playfully swinging their intertwined hands, Kim looked up at him and whispered. "I've always loved you in white. Not that I don't like you when you were green, but white is my personal favorite," _

"_You loved it so much that you fainted at the first glimpse of my new uniform," _

"_As if!" Kim protested with a blush. She hadn't asked to be charmed by Tommy's presence that much. It's still a mystery of the universe as to why she had fainted that time. But when Tommy returned as the white ranger… he brought hope; not just for the team, but for their relationship as well. "I know that you gave the impression of a loner once you're transferred. Being a new kid and all," Kim couldn't help but teasing him a little, amused when he rolled his eyes. She squeezed his hand. "But I had to disagree with that. I thought white suited you better because in my eyes you mixed well with just about anybody. _

"_It was not a secret that you and Jason were the best of friends. You still are now. You two shared the same passion for martial arts and I guess it helped you a little to know him since he was practically my big brother. You know… so he could tell you all things you wanted to know about me. A Kimberly Hart 101 you might say," _

_Tommy burst out laughing and pulled her closer to kiss her head. "Please, with all due respect, continue, Milady," _

"_While you were a bad dancer, still is actually," She quickly corrected and grinned cheekily at him. "You went along really great with Zack. I personally thought he's a good influence for you. He taught you not to be afraid to become a little bit crazy and just enjoy your life, loosen up a little. And not to mention he's the one who encouraged you to ask me to the dance. He earned an extra bonus for that," _

"_I know that you're going to say I was a good friend with Billy—with him tutoring me mathematics and geometry every Friday after school?" Tommy remarked. He loved biology and chemistry, but math and geometry were his weaknesses. Being a ranger who was on call 24/7 hadn't helped him either. Rita wouldn't have cared whether he had a math quiz to study when she sent down her monster. _

"_And just like Zack had given you some of his craziness, you had done the same to Billy. I knew that he didn't pay that much attention to karate before you moved to Angel Grove. Even being a ranger didn't tempt him to leave his textbooks and learn some new moves to beat those creepy monsters. I remember seeing him reading a book about karate and martial arts. He was trying to learn all the theories," Kim finished with a chuckle. _

"_Yeah, that guy…," Tommy shook his head. "Who's next on the list?"_

_Slipping an arm around Tommy's waist, she snuggled closer and inhaled his aftershave. As always, he smelled so good. A middle aged woman walked passed them and Tommy gave her a polite nod. Kim recognized her as his student's parent. "Trini's wisdom helped you a lot, didn't it? And my girlfriend could kick your ass good. That's good enough for me. It's the same with Rocky, Aisha and Adam. You made great friendships with all of them," She spoke again. _

"_And how about you?" He asked softly, his warm chocolate eyes gazing down at her fondly. _

"_You and me?" Kim stopped, her free hand lifting up to trace his jaw line. She tip toed to press a short but meaningful kiss upon his descending lips. "We made a great team," As simple as that, but both knew it was the truth. "And you're cute. What's not to like about that? Even Trini used to harbor a crush for you when she saw you for the very first time. But of course, she knew right away that you belonged to me," _

"_Seriously?" _

"_I'm dead serious,"_

"And _I'm_ seriously going to kill you," Trini croaked, throwing two cushions at Kim at once. The blue one smacked her right on her face while the red cushion knocked a photo frame down. Thanks to the carpeted floor, it didn't break. "What the hell did that mean?"

"You said he was gorgeous and good looking," Kim defended herself after picking up the fallen frame and put it back to its place. Next she blew a strand of hair off her eyes and smoothed down her caramel tresses.

"Yes. So? I never knew it would automatically make someone _harbor_ a crush for a person just by calling that person good looking," Trini borrowed Kim's expression, her fingers making a quote mark in the air. "That explained the funny look Tommy gave me a few days ago when I visited,"

Grinning widely, Kim plopped down on the sofa. Taking in a deep breath, Kim tried to keep her voice even. "And now for the main event,"

"_Hey guys," _

_Kim swirled around to see Katherine standing behind them, all decked in a dark pink sundress. "Oh hey, Kat," Her eyes drifted to the watch around Tommy's wrist. They had agreed to meet up in front of Kristin's Kitchen twenty minutes later, but here she was. Her blonde curly hair was pulled up with a silver clip with some of the golden strands framing her face. Kim eyed her clothes that she had chosen a bit hastily—a plain violet blouse and jeans, a bit self consciously and swallowed hard when a passerby walked by but not before scanning Kat from head to toe. Acting on impulse, Kim tightened her grasp around Tommy's hand. "How about the practice?"_

"_It finished earlier that I thought," Kat answered and she looked at Tommy who's still smiling from their previous conversation. "What's wrong? Are you okay?" _

"_Yeah, we were just talking about my ranger colors and how Kim's favorite was white," Tommy explained with a grin. _

_Kat's head tilted to one side, as if she was reconsidering something. Kim suddenly felt a knot forming in her stomach… "White looks good with pink," The fact that there were one former _white_ ranger and two former _pink_ rangers there and only _one_ had a pink dress on made Kim heart sink. "Though I have to admit that I like seeing Tommy in red. There're so many things happened when you were the red ranger," _

_Including the letter, the break-up, her turning evil and tried to kill the rangers, Tommy's relationship with Kat… _Stop it, Kim!_ There was a pause before Kat let out a throaty giggle. "What are we doing here? Let's go," _

"Why did she have to make that white-looks-good-with-pink comment?" Kim desperately asked Trini who couldn't provide an answer while trying to keep her emotion in checked. "You know that it's not in my nature to easily get jealous, but why it feels like there's a red light flashing in my mind every time Kat and Tommy are around together? This is getting ridiculous,"

"What happened after that?"

"We were walking to the Chinese food restaurant when someone tapped my shoulder. It was a mother of one of my students. She informed me that her daughter was sick that she couldn't come to practice. The competition is in two months and it's a busy time in the gym. But of course, I told her that I understood," Her face fell and she dropped her head to her hands. "We were talking in private, so that means I had to leave Tommy and Kat alone. When I finished, I walked up to them. They were standing in front of that new chocolate house next to the bookshop? Yeah…,"

"_Chocolate house! We sell all kind of chocolates," The clown in a blue and green polka dot suit shouted in a loud, cheery voice and gave a bright yellow flyer to Kat. "Come on, young man. Girls adore chocolates and I'm sure this beautiful lady of yours here wants to come inside and see what we have! You two make a very lovely couple,"_

_Kim's heart successfully sank even further to the bottomless pit of her stomach at that invitation. She wasn't sure if Kat heard it since her gaze was firmly locked onto the colorful display. Tommy let out an awkward laugh and was about to say something, Kim thought, when Kat slipped her arm around his and gave him a pull. "Let's check it out," Katherine said in her thick accent. _

"_You alright?" Tommy asked Kim once he spotted her walking towards him. Most of the customers were high school girls and Tommy did look a bit out of place standing rather uncomfortably next to a huge teddy bear made of chocolate with two equally big pink hearts encased in its arms. Thankfully, Kat had released him and now was busy exploring the other section of the place. _

_She reluctantly received his outstretched hand. Her mind was still numb and she felt like a zombie walking around the shop. The place was small and cozy; done in warm chocolate and golden colors. Normally, she would be tempted by the delicious smell of all the chocolates and sweets, but now it made her stomach lurch. "Yeah," _

"_You look a little pale," Tommy observed. He probably didn't know that she had been there to hear the misunderstanding. And yes, she realized that what it was a misunderstanding. But still, it hurt. _

"_No, I'm fine," _

"And that's the end of the story," Kim said feebly, hearing her voice rising. "Nothing happened for the rest of the evening but I still can't forget that scene, you know. It's engraved in my mind and refused to leave me in peace," She had looked forward to seeing Kat again when she received her phone call, but now she was ready to mark her pocket calendar every day until they day Kat would return to Australia. In twelve days, everything would come back to the way it was supposed to be. "Alright,"

"What?" Trini asked, confused when Kim suddenly got up and clapped her hands together. She could almost see the fire burning in Kim's eyes.

"Kat said Tommy missed having me around the house and so he would get that. I'll call Jules to come earlier tomorrow to the studio so I can give her some instructions," A faint smile touched her lips. "Then, I will go home and be what he wanted me to be. I'll stay and accompany Tommy at home so he won't, I quote, miss having me around,"

"Are you sure you're not doing that just because Kat doesn't have class tomorrow?" Trini squinted her eyes, sensing there's something off about her new found determination. She didn't want to jinx it, but she didn't have a very good feeling about Kim's plan.

"Positive,"

* * *

**:: Things are going to heat up in the next chapter and that's why I entitle it 'Boiling Point'. Thanks for reading, please let me know what you think. No flame though.**

**- Yuuri ;)**


	4. Boiling Point

**Loop and Spiral**

**Disclaimer:**** I don't own anything related to Power Rangers.**

**:: Thanks for the reviews, guys ;) I have a 4 day off so I can finish this one. Comparing to the previous chapters, this one is longer. Hope you like it. ****Special thanks for G, Mili, Angie and Mali for the extra supports! Thanks to you guys I have got the courage back to continue this fic :)**

**:: Not for Kat fans.. don't like, don't read. Thank you.**

* * *

**Chapter four: Boiling Point**

Kim opened the front door and walked inside to find Katherine lounging in the living room. Her successor was watching a Prison Break rerun with a basket of fresh, just-came-out-of-the oven popcorn neatly placed on her lap. They might have had some disagreement, but Kim had to say that Wentworth Miller was a hottie. So what if he's gay? It didn't change the fact that he was still blazingly sexy. Maybe one of these days she would ask Tommy to shave the rest of his hair. He had surrendered his long hair trademark, it wouldn't kill him to go extreme for once and please her by turning hairless.

Stifling a giggle at the new imaginary image of her boyfriend, Kim closed the door behind her and made her presence known. "Hey, Kim. I didn't expect you to come home this early. Did something happen?"

"Nothing happened," Kim answered while taking off her coat and sitting at the arm of the couch. The sight of a shirtless Michael Scofield contented her for a while. Tommy had several tattoos marking his body but she would seriously kill him if he dared enough to do his entire body. His memory might not be the best, but he wasn't that forgetful that he had to actually make a blue print of the map from high school to this house on his body. "I just wanted to go home early and see how Tommy was doing. I thought he might want some company,"

"Did you forget that I didn't have class today?" Kat asked with a good natured grin and Kim felt her stomach doing some back flips. Of course she remembered. Wasn't that the whole point of her deciding to take a day off? "There's a show about China ancient civilization on TV this afternoon, so I thought it could keep Tommy busy,"

"You're so thoughtful," Kim replied, biting her tongue to prevent her from saying anything else that she would regret later. _Kat was being a good friend… her intention was good… stop torturing yourself and stop judging your friend. Yes, she's your friend, remember? _"Anyway, I'm going to see Tommy now,"

"Sure," Once Kat's gaze was reverted back to the television, Kim got up, picked up her coat and bag and made her way to the guest room. Since Tommy was in no condition to walk up the stairs, they had moved temporarily to the second guest room downstairs.

Tommy and her room was located at the end of the corridor at the second floor. It was pretty big with an inside bedroom and a walk-in closet for both of them. They had had an argument before; Kim wanted them to get beautiful floral printed wallpaper she'd seen at the mall but Tommy thought it was too girlish and somewhat juvenile. In the end, they had finally agreed to paint the wall with warm beige color.

Living with Tommy hadn't been easy at the first time. They loved each other dearly but sometimes it was difficult not to think about devouring each other--literally. They hadn't talked about getting married though Jason had dropped a trace of hints then and there every time they talked. That was a total nonsense. Before they stepped into that next phrase of their relationship, they had to make living together 24/7 work. Now they had been living under the same roof for a whole three years and it still felt like a very good dream that she had never been fully awaken from.

Getting married… before she started stressing out about that, she'd better start worrying about what would become of her relationship with Tommy if her suspicion turned out to be _correct_. _Oh God, please don't. _

She turned the doorknob and pushed it open, making no noise as not to wake Tommy. His sleeps had been restless for the last couple of days because of his fever so it actually thrilled her when she saw him sleeping peacefully, her pillow neatly tucked under his chin.

After putting her stuff on the dresser, Kim kicked off her shoes and slowly and carefully crawled over the bed. She settled next to Tommy and propped her head on one hand. Her other hand grazed his forehead lightly to check his temperature and a relieved smile grew when she realized the fever had gone.

She took a few minutes to stare at his sleeping face and it was all she could do not to launch forward and rain his face with kisses. She was 28 years old but some parts of the seventeen year old Kim were still inside her somewhere. She had never been able to stay still whenever Tommy was around when they were kids and that, sadly, hadn't changed.

Feeling slightly defeated, Kim leaned over and pressed her lips against his stubbly cheek. Quiet for a few seconds before a soft sigh escaped his lips and those long eyelashes started to flutter open.

"I didn't mean to wake you," She said regretfully and moved her hand to smooth down the wrinkles on his UCLA t-shirt.

"It's okay. All I did all day was lay still on the bed," Tommy said grouchily and pushed himself up. Kim immediately helped him and he fell back to the mountain of pillows near the headboard. He was startled when Kim put her head on his shoulder. Not by her action, but her being there at all. "Hold on… what are you doing here?"

"Oh, I asked Jules to take care of the studio today," Kim explained, looking up to see his face when she felt his eyes fall upon her. "It's no big deal. The girls have nailed their routine. They would be fine without me for a day," She had dropped by to the gym earlier this morning to make sure everything's alright. Now that she was home, she would assure that Tommy would be properly taken care of. "I'll make lunch today, how does that sound?" At Tommy's imploring gaze, she quickly added, "I know that I'm not the best chef in the world, but I guess I still can cook something without poisoning anyone,"

She had caused some incidents, but nothing major or life threatening. She had taken a cooking class for about three months and there're some old recipes her grandmother had inherited. "I'll make pasta," She insisted, realizing that was the only thing she had mastered.

"Of course, Beautiful," Tommy complied, cupped her cheek in his hand and leaned down for a welcome-home kiss. He had never meant to tease Kim about her lack of cooking ability, but sometimes it was just too much fun not to. After a minute, he pulled back from her. "But I'm fine, really, you don't have to baby-sit me,"

"I know that," Kim said and after chewing her lips and looking into Tommy's dark brown eyes, she blurted out, "I love you," She was searching for something in his eyes, but had to be relieved a bit when the only thing she found in his eyes was surprise at her sudden announcement.

"I love you too," He returned softly, not asking anything, and kissed her forehead.

Kim smiled and hugged him closer as if she was afraid she was going to lose him. She buried her face into his chest and for a while everything was alright with the world when they had their arms wrapped around each other.

"Great, now I feel like getting out of this bed," Tommy said, slowly extricating himself from her embrace. He sat up and reached for his crutches. "The only thing I saw all day is the wall in front of the bed, closet, and the pond,"

"The pond?" She asked, confused. He was probably referring to the small pond near their backyard. It was a quiet, nice place that reminded her so much of their old pond back in Angel Grove. Tommy usually took her there for a picnic when he's feeling romantic.

"We went there this morning after breakfast. Kat and I," He answered, grunting when he slowly got up. "I was bored out of my mind and I offered to show her around,"

Kim remained still and speechless. She composed herself and after a while, the only thing she could come up with was, "Oh,"

"And before you begin your lecture about my condition," Tommy turned to her and flashed her the trademark lop-sided grin. "I've felt much better. I guess I just needed some fresh air,"

He had definitely mistaken her crestfallen expression. Kim opened her mouth, wanting to say something about everything. Communication was one of many important aspects that built a healthy relationship, she knew that, but how could she tell him that she was suspecting him having something with Kat behind her back? That was like telling him that she didn't trust him. "No, I mean, your leg is broken and with the fever…,"

"I wasn't alone and the fever's gone," Tommy assured her. "Now I think I remember Kat saying something about ancient civilization program in Nat Geo,"

Why couldn't she just say it?

--

"_Was there really something going on or you're just seeing what you thought was there?"_ Trini had asked her.

Kim stopped cutting the garlic and put the knife down. Katherine had offered to help, but she didn't think it would be a great idea to be in the same room with her; not before her emotion cooled down a bit. Therefore Kat had joined Tommy to watch that show _they_ had been waiting for.

"Yeah, but I thought that was before the 16th century?" Kat asked Tommy when the show showed some antique china vases made out of ivories and Kim sighed as Tommy said something in reply. It wasn't long before the two doctors were deeply involved in a conversation about the Qing Dynasty and Emperor Chienlong's marvelous collection. Somehow Kim felt out of placed.

She was checking the chicken in the oven when Kat's Australian accent asked, "What do you think, Kim? Is that right?"

"What is right?" Kim questioned back, not turning her head. It's almost half and hour and Kim knew that Tommy loved it medium-done.

"I just told her that I would love to have many kids," Tommy volunteered to answer and his statement made Kim straighten her back and turned to face the duo in the living room. "But of course, I remember that you said you didn't want to have more than two,"

Kim flinched inwardly. Where the hell that's coming from? She remembered their conversation once upon a time about having a family together, but really, why did he suddenly bring that up now? What's the connection between some old, ancient vases and children?

"I always wanted a big family," Kat chimed in before Kim could find her voice. "I guess I'm just used to have many brothers and sisters around me. Our house in Australia is pretty huge and everybody will come every two months or so. Barbequing and having fun,"

Of course she just had to say that, Kim thought bitterly.

She took a deep breath and tried to kick the thought away. Being pissed and holding a sharp object in her hand were not a good mix. Fortunately, she was saved from having to answer another round of questions when the commercials ended and the show resumed.

Instead of thinking about Tommy and Kat, she tried to busy herself with the task in hands. _3 tablespoon butter and olive oil… 2 tablespoon lemon juice… 3 gloves chopped garlic… salt and pepper… _Kim wiped her hands on the apron and walked to the overhead cabinet. "Tommy, do you know where the salt is?"

"It's in the first drawer," Kat filled in, turning her head. "I moved the sugar, salt and pepper there so Tommy would get a better reach. Oh, and I checked the fridge and saw that you're in a definite shortage of milk, so I got two bottles this morning,"

"And Kat bought Lucky Charms," Tommy added with a grin and Kim wanted to die. She knew she was forgetting something! He had been nagging her about buying his favorite cereal but she… forgot.

"Oh alright, thanks, Kat," Kim said, hoping the bitterness didn't show. Seriously, it was like reenacting You, Me, and Dupree all over again. But instead, she was playing as Matt Dillon's character, Katherine was not a poet and Tommy was a girl in this version.

Kim decided to join Tommy and Kat while waiting for the chicken. She sat next to Tommy and much to her delight; he pulled her into his side. They were still talking about the China's greatest collection and God helped her, she was trying to follow but it was difficult. Now she regretted that she didn't pay much attention to Professor Kelly's history class.

"He collected antiques, mostly ceramics," Tommy said, recalling a show he watched a few years ago. "I heard there were many Chinese arts collection in London? The Percival David Foundation?"

"That's true. That place is meant to promote and study about Chinese cultures, arts… There're collections from the 10th century to the 18th. Just like the white and blue vases from the Yuan Dynasty,"

Kim wanted to cut in and make a cool comment, but her mind went blank. The only thing she could remember was when David Copperfield walked through the Great Wall back in the 80s and the singapore noodles she had last night, and it wasn't even from China.

Kim glanced at her watch and got up from her perch against Tommy's side, inviting him to look at her questioningly. "The chicken should be ready by now," She announced self-consciously.

"Do you need a hand, Kim?" Kat asked, ready to push herself up.

"No," Kim answered rather too quickly that she would've liked. "I mean, just stay here and enjoy your discussion,"

"It's great to have you here," Tommy suddenly said, beaming at his former girlfriend. "This kind of things doesn't pique Kim's interest that much so I'm glad to have someone to talk to about this,"

Kim's hand itched from wanting to smack him upside the head, but she held her ground. "Yeah, I don't understand this stuff so I guess it's a good thing that you're here so he could share his interest with you," _And this better be the only thing he shared!_ Kim added in the privacy of her mind. "Now will you please excuse me,"

She was back to the kitchen and after ten minutes, brought the steaming chicken garlic to the table which had been arranged by Katherine earlier. "Guys, dinner's ready," She walked up to Tommy but she wasn't fast enough; Kat had stepped into his side and held his arm, supporting his body.

She was a friend… she was just being nice… Kim repeated the mantra over and over again. She wouldn't feel like this if that was Aisha helping Tommy, watching some shows on TV, or even moving the stuff around the house. But Tommy and Aisha had never romantically involved. Tommy and Kat had had a long history together and had faced some tough times when she was busy chasing her dreams in Florida.

Repressing a depressed sigh, Kim pulled a chair for Tommy and took a seat next to him. They made small talks during the meal and suddenly Kat coughed, surprising her and she nearly choked on her drink. "Kat, are you alright?" She asked, wiping her mouth and put down the napkin on her lap.

"Here, wash it down," Tommy took Kat's glass and put it closer to her.

"I'm fine," Kat nodded between coughs, trying to maintain her breath. "I don't know what happened,"

Kim watched in worry as Kat didn't stop coughing. Her face was red and Kim could feel her own throat hurt just by watching Katherine. Then she felt a light squeeze in her right hand and she turned to see Tommy watching her seriously. "What?"

"You didn't by any chance put any parsley in the chicken, right?"

Kim's face changed a shade of pink. She did put some parsley since she wanted some garnish… "Is Kat-,"

"She's allergic to it, yeah," Tommy confirmed and took his crutches. "Do you bring your medicine, Kat?"

"I'm sorry, I didn't know," Kim sincerely apologized to Kat who tried to muster a small smile in return. She was still coughing to say anything. Now Kim felt really bad. But she honestly didn't know about Kat's allergy!

Kat took a sip of her water and stood up, making a quick leave to her room to retrieve her medicine. Kim watched Tommy struggling to follow her and Kim just froze there. She buried her face into her hands. Could this day get any worse that it already had?

"You should be more careful next time, Kim," Tommy remarked as Kat walked back to the dining room with a small white bottle. He patted Kat's shoulder and handed her a glass of water. "I know that you didn't know, but-,"

"Yes, I didn't know about that and I said I was sorry, alright," Kim couldn't help much longer. Tommy sounded like she did that on purpose and she hated it. Her outburst shut Tommy up and for a while the only thing heard were Kat's coughing and the sound from the television that Tommy had left on. She didn't mean to raise her voice but she just snapped.

"Kim…,"

Kim felt tears—angry tears, start to fill her eyes and blur her vision and she wouldn't allow Tommy or Kat to see that. Without saying anything, Kim turned around and dashed to the front door. She had just slammed the door behind her when Tommy opened it somewhat roughly, stunning Kim that he could move that fast even with his leg's condition. Guess he still had the speed and swiftness from his ranger days. "Where are you going?" He caught her arm and nearly tumbled down when she fought back. "I know that you didn't mean to do that, Kim. You're overreacting,"

"Am I?" Kim snapped and found herself couldn't stop. "I've been putting up with all of this and I can't take it anymore,"

"Take what?"

Rolling her eyes, Kim threw her head back in desperation. Tommy was as blind as many guys were and she wanted to punch him good for asking that question. "Just go back to Kat. She needs you," Kim concluded in two simple sentences. And good for Tommy, those were enough to open his eyes.

"Is that what this is all about?" Tommy asked. "Kat?" Kim didn't need to answer, the expression on her face told everything. He shook his head and grasped her shoulder tight with one hand. "But, I thought you liked her. She's your friend,"

"Yes, and she's your ex-girlfriend!" Kim retorted back, not caring anymore if the blonde inside her house could hear their quarrel. "She's been all over you and you didn't even notice that," She continued in a near whisper.

"I don't understand," Tommy started. "You perfectly know that we're just friends. I love _you_. Kat knows that and you should be _the_ first person who knows that,"

"Alright, so it's my fault. I don't want to doubt your feelings, Tommy. And I don't. It's just… so difficult to see you and her interacting like-,"

"Like good friends should?" Tommy completed the sentence.

"Like I wasn't there," Kim nearly yelled, her jaw tightened. It's a good thing that they didn't have neighbors nearby or they would call the cops for disturbing the night.

"What do you mean by that?" He demanded, getting his patience draining fast. "You're the one who invited her to stay here at the first place and now you're suddenly accusing me with this non-sense? Your jealousy is totally out of place,"

"Don't raise your voice in front of me," Kim warned.

"Just because you're acting childish right now,"

Kim sighed hard. What did she expect? For Tommy to drop to his knees, cry and beg her not to go? Kicking Kat out of the house, perhaps? She'd always known that Tommy was not that type of person.

He had strong, steely, determination and he surely wouldn't let this go before everything was settled. Kim wiggled out of his grasp and stepped back, creating some distance. "I…. I have to go,"

"We're not done yet,"

She kept walking to her car. Pulling her key from her jeans, she forced herself to ignore Tommy. Perhaps by leaving like this she was only clenching his remark that she was being childish, but before they talked she had to calm down her temper or she would end up making things worse than now.

"Kimberly!"

She needed to go see Trini.

--

"Tommy, you're okay?" Kat's voice brought him back from his reverie and his head lifted up to see the tall blonde standing in the doorway, a worried expression marred her lovely feature. He bowed his head after emptying yet another bottle of beer. It's a good thing that he still had some ammo in the house. It had been a while since the last time he consumed this much amount of alcohol; he usually had to stay sober since he had class in the morning, and he could feel the liquor start to do some effects on him.

How on earth could Kim be thinking like that? Judging from the situation, he knew that it didn't happen overnight. She had been keeping those thoughts with her for a while until they couldn't be contained anymore tonight. "I'm fine," He answered curtly. Kat wasn't coughing anymore though her voice was still a bit croaky.

Tommy smiled bitterly. They had been so happy when they were teenagers. Even when Kim decided to leave the team and go to Florida, he had thought that distance wouldn't have mattered to them. Then she sent him the letter. She _cheated_ on him. Tommy cringed at the sound of it.

Then Kim waltzed back into his life. After so long, it was not easy to open up his heart again. There was this little anxiety in the corner of his heart that's afraid of a second heart-break. He wouldn't be able to accept that once again. It took some time, but he had finally able to forgive Kim and give them another try. Now he loved her more than ever but she out of the blue thought he was cheating on her? _She_ doubted _him_.

"How about Kim?" She asked carefully and sat down next to him. She tried to take the beer from his hand, but he wouldn't allow that.

"I'm plenty sure she's alright," Tommy took a swig of his drink, his head swaying to one side before landing firmly at the back of the sofa. "Probably with Trini now,"

"I'm sorry,"

Tommy opened his eyes briefly to acknowledge the second pink ranger and felt a strange wave of déjà vu. Like that time when Kat found Kim in the Youth Center. "It's not your fault. Kim and I need to talk, but it's not your fault," He hiccupped once and licked his lips, feeling the liquor burning his throat and giving him a sensation that he needed tonight.

"Alright, that's enough," Kat snatched the bottle from his hand and set it down on the table, producing a loud noise when she's doing so. Then she grabbed his crutches in one hand while the other pulled him off the couch. "You'd better take some rest. You can talk to her tomorrow,"

"Why she can't just… understand?" Tommy asked, more to himself than to Katherine.

--

"You've got to be kidding me," Trini said in a hushed tone; not because she didn't want anyone to hear them since they were truly alone in her house, but because Kim's story had left her flabbergasted. "And you just left him like that?"

"What was I supposed to do?" Kim replied, her lips painting into a pout. She had driven to Trini's house like a mad-man and was very pleased to see her home and not somewhere else. The beautiful Vietnamese was in the middle finishing her left-over Chinese when Kim banged at the door like there's fire. "I just couldn't hold it much longer. Everything had bottled up and now I exploded, as simple as that. This whole staying at home thing was such a bad idea,"

"Um, Kim, I want to ask you something but you have to promise you won't kill me," Trini spoke in a softer tone. "Alright, just to make sure we'd better put this aside…," She said half-jokingly and took the fork from the table and put it in the sink. When she faced her friend again, Kim was still waiting for her to ask whatever she wanted to know. "You know that I'm not taking anybody's side. You, Tommy and even Kat, you're all my friends. You're my best friend, but what if Tommy was making a point there?"

"Excuse me?" Kim's eyebrow rose as she genuinely didn't understand.

"Just like what you've said to me, you wouldn't be acting like this if Kat was not… Katherine. Maybe the past has gotten the better of you?"

Kim wiped her face with her hands. Trini was right and there's no point in denying it. But it was really difficult, watching Tommy and Kat interacting like a newlywed. He didn't need her to be there, Kat was ready to help him. Kat had never made a direct move, but she dropped many little tidbits everywhere that Kim felt her patience was being tested, big time. "Maybe, I don't know… He was so mad at me. Shouldn't I be the one who has the right to be angry? I expect him to feel a bit guilty, but he was just so furious,"

"Well, his girlfriend just accused him having an affair behind her back… I think he has all the right in the world to get a _little_ angry," Trini emphasized at the word little, shooting Kim an I'm-sorry smile. "He's probably thinking that you didn't trust him enough to have an idea like that,"

Trini was right, straight to the point, and the remark hit Kim on the head like a ton of bricks. "Oh God…,"

"My best advice is that you should go back, talk with Tommy and tell him everything," Trini smirked upon seeing Kim's kicked puppy expression. "Yes, everything. That way you two can work out on this together, look for some solutions… But that is after you promised me you wouldn't blow up again and bat him with your heels,"

Kim managed a grin, but she felt like she was flinching and not smiling. "Alright… do you have another slice of that cheese cake? I think the sugar in my blood has reduced significantly,"

"Sure,"

--

It was a quiet balmy night and the wind sent chills down her spine. The moon was full above her head and if only everything had been different, it could have been a romantic setting for a picnic under the moonlight. Kim walked up to the front door. She didn't know what she would say to Tommy, or to Kat. She supposed she should apologize to her, but could she do it?

Taking a moment to peek inside, Kim found the living room empty. The television was on but no one was in sight. Crossing her fingers, she opened the door and walked in. Following her instinct, she went to the guest room to talk with Tommy first.

The blood seemed to stop flowing inside her body when she saw Kat was leaning over Tommy, her long, curly blonde hair obscured Tommy's face from view. On the other side, Tommy was laying on his bed, his arms on each side like an eagle.

She had seen enough. Before Kat noticing she was there, Kim walked through the hallway and to her car. Despite of her wanting to stay quiet, she just couldn't. She didn't want to cry either, but it seemed like the gate had been opened and tears were now streaking down her face in full force. Kim drove away and wondered if Trini would kindly lend her the extra room.

* * *

**:: Thank you for reading! Dun dun dun... the tension's building even higher now. Please review, no flame though. See you in the next chapter!**

**- Yuuri ;)**


End file.
